The Polar Bear by Jenni Desmond is a rare treat, a book that is both magical and factually accurate. You are taken on a journey of polar bear bodies, habits, as well as habitats. Yet, the reading the book is a bit bittersweet. Polar bears are in trouble and I also feel that our own reading is in trouble. How could we have missed this book? Well, at least we found it now. . .

And this book is important both because it provides intriguing insights into polar bears that can be used to inspire new ideas – biomimicry – both also because it is becoming more and more important to educate children about climate change and the effects it has on animals. Polar bear are big and magnificent but they are also vulnerable to the changing climate and they need our protection.

In the foreword Jenni writes:

“Until well into the 20th century, polar bears were hunted for sport, food, clothing, and traditional crafts. By the 1950s, unregulated hunting for sport and furs was threatening their very survival. . .

Today the biggest threat to their survival is climate change. This is because polar bears depend on sea ice to hunt for food, but as the world’s temperatures rise, Arctic ice has begun to melt earlier in the summer and freeze later in the autumn. This means that polar bears now have less available food during the summer months. Should a bear already be underweight, the length of time it now has to wait for the ice and its food to return may just be too long.

Polar bears are intelligent, playful, and curious creatures. Along with caring for the rest of the natural world, we need to care for these bears and their environments. Only with our commitment to protecting our planet will polar bears be able to truly flourish and multiply in their Arctic homes.”

In the story The Polar Bear we meet a little girl who takes out this book from the bookshelf and begins to learn all sort of interesting things about polar bears. For a biomimicrist, the science behind some things may be familiar things that have been used to inspire new ideas. The black skin beneath its yellowish-white fur helps the bear to preserve energy. They also have built-sun glasses that protects their eyes from the bright and often harsh Arctic light.

A poetic inspirational book, perfect for a budding biomimicrist and a lover of good stories.